The Folk Devils
| Folk Devils | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Post punk |
| Years active | 1983–1987 2016 - to-date |
| Labels | Situation 2 |
| Associated acts | King Blank, Ian Lowery Group, Ski Patrol |
| Past members | Ian Lowery Alan Cole Kris Jozajtis Mark Whiteley John Hamilton Rob Downs Nick Clift Saul Taylor |
Folk Devils were a 1980s post-punk ensemble born of the Notting Hill, West London music scene.
Founding member Ian Lowery had previously been the original singer in late 1970s punk rock band The Wall and then signed to Killing Joke's Malicious Damage label as leader of the group Ski Patrol. Politics and the general tensions that seemed endemic to the Killing Joke scene led Ian to leave Ski Patrol and recruit long-time friend of Jaz Coleman - Alan Cole on drums, Kris Jozajtis on guitar (now Dr Kris Jozajtis at Greenfaulds High School) and Mark Whiteley, from Wales, on bass to form another group, Folk Devils, in 1983. Mark had been active in both the London and Welsh music scene. He worked with Anrhefn, Wales' seminal punk band and with the ill-fated Hack Hack on the album Despite Amputations. He left the band midway through a gig at The Fridge in Brixton unhappy with the band, their label (Shout Records), and musical direction. A fight ensued and Mark became a Folk Devil.
The sound was a bastardised blend of punk, blues, and amphetamine fuelled angst with the music often walking a fine line between a patchwork of brilliant musicianship and violence. The political and ideological canvass for Folk Devils was the miners strike, Thatcher's Britain, mass unemployment and the flooding of Britain's streets with heroin and despair. Both Mark and Ray Gange were to become deeply, almost fatally, involved in the early 80s drug scene.
Initially managed by Ray Gange, star of The Clash's film Rude Boy, the Folk Devils first single "Hank Turns Blue" recorded for £180 (allegedly the bands combined dole money) and released on the label Ganges Records and distributed through Rough Trade resided at number three in the indie charts for six weeks being kept off the top spot only by New Order and Depeche Mode.
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